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Extra Life: Fall Faerie Festival
Extra Life: Fall Faerie Festival was a livestreamed Dungeons and Dragons game, run as part of the annual Extra Life fundraiser supporting Children's Hospitals. This is the fourth adventure in the Extra Life series, which are tangentially part of the Queens of Adventure universe. In this adventure, Queen Titania's mortal adventurers are tasked with a quest during the Fall Faerie Festival. Summary Autumn light filters through Queen Titania’s glade, as people gather for the Fall Fairie Festival. The queen sits on a large throne of vines. A satyr with a golden horn announces that each year a group of mortals are invited to participate in a quest for the festival and introduces the four members this year's group and asks them to perform a feat. He encourages Agrias Lunnette to go first. She walks down the aisle, rebraiding her pumpkin vine hair and commands her shield to float before her. A dryad whispers to Titania, and the Queen asks her to introduce herself. Agrias says the pumpkin head and cat tail aren’t her choice and uses light to light up the jack o lantern. Grady Reineke in a hoodie and sweat pants, and Vidor (who seems more magical and is on his backlegs in top hat and vest) go next. As she bows, she and Agrias both tumble over each other. Perigrindr Shook begins to flirt with the satyr. Since his last appearance he has reverted to the form of a halfling with the tail of a cat and donkey ears. He compliments the satyr’s shoes. He explains he is a halfling, cat, donkey, werewolf, vampire, and uses his magic bow tie to locate an object. The satyr tells the last member to finish off the introduction. She, a tabaxi named Deven, plays her own theme song and describes her magic. She says she is a professional figure skating cat. She casts hideous laughter on her autoharp. The satyr explains how every year they invite a mortal party to seek out the Pumpkin Spice they need to keep fueled during the Winter. If they fail, they will be turned into statues in Titania’s garden. If they win, they will get a wish. Deven wants to franchise pumpkin spice. Perigrindr considers being turned into a statue regardless. Vines form an arch leading to a pathway into a dark forest. Agrias leads with Deven, who casts light on a raven feather quill. Perigrindr rides his mount, Carol the precognitive sheep. Grady asks Deven where she learned to play the stringboard. She learned it in a dream. Perigrindr investigates Vidor’s transformation, and offers to talk about his transformations. His barks aren’t speech, but getting close. As he rides around the party, Perigrindr feels a strange magic roll over him. A sheep influence flows over him, and he feels the urge to follow the herd. He grows wool, which Deven sheers and knits a sweater on her autoharp. They come up to a road sign with a dragonwing’d and cloak wearing fey sitting on it. Vidor sniffs the orange powder all around. The group talks to the creature who says he has to get the spice while they can before supplies run out. The party wonders if they are working for drug mules. The fey tells them to head to the center of the forest to the pumpkin patch to get the spice. They try to convince him to go with them. Worried about his addiction, Deven plays a note and cures him. Restored to normal, he asks for the sweater, and swears he wont succumb to his addiction again. Grady asks his name: Popper the Sprite. They head deeper into the forest and come upon a clearing with ten paths. A gnarled tree stump has three treasure chests on it. They ask Popper which way to go, but he no longer has the map he and his companions used the last time they came through. Deven tries to pick the locks on the chest with her quill. When it fails, she speaks to the heavens and tries to charm the DM to let her reroll. Somehow it works. The open chest has a map in it. Nearby they see a dog at the foot of a tree with a beehive. There is a gold key imbedded in the tree and one around the dog’s nest. Grady talks to them, but all they say is “Oh Honey” over and over, moving frantically. The air gets colder. Grady casts minor illusion to create some beautiful flowers to distract them. With the bees flying off, Perigrindr uses mage hand to snatch the key from the hive and then uses the spectral hand to open a second treasure chest. Inside is a single use spell scroll: Reduce/Enlarge. Perigrindr asks his bowtie to locate ‘the correct key’ which points to one key in the pile by the dog. With it the last chest opens and has a spell of polymorph in it. Perigrindr keeps it and gives the other scroll to Agrias. The group begins to leave the clearing as the bees begin to realize the trick. Heading deeper into the forest, Perigrindr feels another shiver of magic and his vampiric side manifests, and the sunlight hurts him. He also thirsts for blood. To deal, he clings to Carol’s stomach and drinks a little of her blood. In the next clearing, they find tons of busy cats. Some are stringing yawn, others are gathering fish. Deven wanders over and decides to take over leadership. The charmed cats explain that they are having the Feline Fur Festival, but the Owls have taken their scratching post. They look up and it is in the trees with all the owls. Deven turns and sprays into the air while viciously mocking one of the owls, “Your feathers are just… so short.” The post falls from the branches Perigrindr uses his floating disk to catch and lower the scratch post. The lead cat thanks them and gives them a round bell on a collar as a token, and places it around Vidor’s neck, which will allow them to summon the cats. They then ask for some wool. Perigrindr offers Carol's (and Deven shears). As the cats weave, Perigrindr bites one and commands it to make a cape for him using his vampiric thrall. Deven plays another G-major to calm Popper, who was beginning to jones for pumpkin spice. Next they find the path ending at a dead end seeming cliff face. Vidor tries to sniff for the scent of pumpkin spice, but cant, so Grady asks Popper to try and pick up the scent trail and does successfully. To the side of the clearing is a bushy area with some cackling in it. Popper remembers meeting some gals, and the group finds three crones stooped over a cauldron. The party asks for their help to get to the pumpkin spice. The crones explain they need ideas to make a monster and ask each one to add an ingredient. Agrias throws in a golden scarf, Deven a hallucinatory incense stick and a madeline, Perigrindr throws in their last sweater turtleneck, and Grady cuts off her ponytail and drops it in the pot (and asks Deven for help cleaning up the look later. –“Im gonna give you bangs!”) Perigrindr: I think we just invented Greta Gerwig Froth bubbles up from the cauldron. As it dies down, there in the base of the cauldron is a half turtle half pony creature wound up in a golden scarf. Its eyes spiral. “Cozy,” it says. They name the creature Madeline. The crones are thrilled and gather the last of the liquid to drink and offer some to the party. Deven and Perigrindr leap right in. Grady senses transformation magic in it, as does Carol. Vidor is not interested. After they drink, Grady shakes it off with no effect. Deven shudders and her ribs loosen before she grows two new arms form under her arms (giving her a 2nd combat attack). A third eye opens up in Perigrindr’s forehead with a +2 to perception. The hags thank them and cause the illusion shielding a cave to vanish. Agrias worries “What have we done? What have we unleashed on the fey wilds?” Perigrindr tries to turn Madeline into a vampire thrall. The group heads though the cave and magic washes over Perigrindr, bringing up his cat personality, making him super curious. Instantly he notices Deven in heat, but darts down the path and eats a red capped mushroom he finds. It squeaks. Intermission The mushroom breaks free of Perigrindr’s grasp and they realize they are all little creatures. He keeps trying to eat it until Grady sprays water on Perigrindr and opens his jaws. The freed mushroom shouts “Intruders!” as he runs to a stone on the cave water. Pressing it, it slides into the wall. A stone plate in the roof drops, revealing a giant fleshy mushroom that begins to roll down a ramp towards them. The group enters a skill challenge to get to the end of the cave. Agrias uses intimidation to tell them they are in service of the queen. But as a talking pumpkin it is not as scary as she intended. The mushrooms cackle. Deven does a performance to inspire everyone, by singing as she slices mushrooms in their path. It energizes everyone. Grady draws her bow and enchants ensnaring strike. The shot flies towards the giant mushroom and slows it down with vines. Perigrindr misty steps ''to try and invade along with halfling nimbleness, and jumps from mushroom to mushroom. He then tries to use ''arcana to identify the mushrooms but fails. Deven uses her arcana to cast Thunder Wave against the rolling mushroom, with a nat 20. Agrias, unsure after her adventures what diety she even worships anymore, channels divinity. Via a blue crystal teardrop she holds she casts turn undead. Light flows out of it, blinding the mushrooms as they pass out of the cave at last. Magic washes again over Perigrindr and his halfling nature takes over and remounts Carol. They are in a wooded glade with a path that leads through a valley full of wildflowers. Perigrindr studies them with his third eye while Grady does a nature check. She can tell there is nothing sinister or unnatural, but the vines all seem to be connected together to a tall tree in the center of the path. A humanoid figure, vines growing off the body, stands near the tree, looking like the dryad from the court. They ask Perigrindr for his knowledge of dryads. Agrias approaches and asks how to proceed without hurting her or her hair. She turns and thanks them and asks what brings them out here. Agrias explains they are on a mission for Queen Titania, and offers to use her wish to help the valley of flowers. Perigrindr looks up from his book, where he was preparing to light them on fire. The dryad agrees and the vines move the flowers away, clearing a path. The group thanks Agrias, who realizes that she feels a divine touch in her life again for the first time in a while and declares she now worships Undine, goddess of water. As they move on, the sheep influence takes over Perigrindr again, and wool regrows. At last they arrive at the pumpkin patch. Crows are perched everywhere. In the center of the patch they find a scarecrow made of wicker and hay. The crows are cawing ‘Guarding’. Deven casts silence over the field and Perigrindr casts fog cloud to prevent the crows from plotting against them. Vidor and Perigrindr look around for the pumpkin they need to find. The fox points past the Scarecrow straight ahead. Perigrindr manages to see a 10 foot tall pumpkin just beyond the scarecrow. Grady crawls to follow Vidor’s guidance. He crashes into something: the Scarecrows ankle. It starts to move and slams a massive hand smashes down on the ground near Grady. Deven dubs the scarecrow “Nancy Scarigen” Grady casts a silent image illusion of a fireball in the air between the scarecrow and the pumpkin. Deven draws a match to silently viciously mock it. Perigrindr uses the polymorph spell on himself to turn himself into a 30 foot tall firey demon creature before punching the scarecrow to the ground. The fire demon asks nicely for the pumpkin spice. The scarecrow roars and punches back, initiating combat. Vidor bites and pull at the hay around one of the scarecrow’s ankles. Deven casts hideous laughter, skates to the other leg with feline agility and begins chomping and biting. Grady hacks at the other ankle with two sword attacks. The scarecrow misses a punch and only manages to shake off the hideous laughter by using a legendary action. He raises to his knees. Perigrindr pulls off some wool and casts firebolt before throwing it. It ignites the scarecrow. He punches Perigrindr in retaliation. He asks Carol to forgive him for all he has done to her today and to please help him attack the Scarecrow. She agrees but says Perigrindr will owe her big. She charges up and runs straight through the scarecrow's head vanishing into the fog cloud on the other side. Agrias climbs Perigrindr and leaps off to attack the Scarecrow’s neck. This causes the scarecrow to collapse at last. Carol limps out of the fog. Perigrindr hugs her and apologizes again. Agrias says to give Carol credit for the final blow. Agrias approaches the large pumpkin, calls it brother, and asks for the pumpkin spice, saying she will use her wish to give the dryad a pumpkin head and thereby help their people. The pumpkin is intrigued, but cant create the spice as they have been too down. Deven plays music to lift his spirits and a smile grows on his face. Orange loaves grow on his vines. They pop and the air is filled with the spice. As the other gourds burst, the various creatures they met appear: The dryad, cats, satyr, hags, and out of the last and largest one steps Queen Titania who declares she is amused. Then gives them three wishes. Agrias: Only three? Titania: Four wishes. Agrias realizes she doesn’t need to return to normal for her god to love her, so she wishes for the dryad of the valley to be able to grow pumpkins and pumpkinheads at will. Grady wishes for Vidor to be able to speak. Deven wishes for a four handed ukulele, milk, and a date with Vidor. Perigrindr realizes he learned to respect friends and not quest for power… but decides to ignore it and wishes for Titania’s throne as his vampire thralls join him. Titania laughs and waves her hand. The Valley Dryad taps Agrias’s shoulder and now has a pumpkin head. Vidor clears his throat and compliments Grady’s bangs before winking at Deven. A two necked ukulele appears in Deven’s arm with a saucer of milk. Perigrindr feels a slipping sliding feeling under his feet. Vines grow around his firey wooley demon self, forming a giant throne of vines and mushrooms under him. Titania pats his shoulder (grown to match his size). “To be honest, I could use a vacation.” She brushes her gown, giving it a Hawaiian print and lowers sunglasses over her face. She reaches to the Dryad and says “Alright Diane, lets go –Take good care of the place while we’re gone.” And vanishes. Perigrindr declares that they will have Carol Day in a month and orders the cats to decorate. This Completes the Fall Faerie Festival! Characters Party * Agrias Lunnette - aasimar paladin * Deven - tabaxi bard * Grady Reineke - human ranger ** Vidor - fox companion * Perigrindr Shook - halfling+ wizard ** Carol the White Queen, a sheep NPCs * A Satyr * Queen Titania * Diane the Dryad * Poppers the Pixie * Bees and a Dog * Fae Cats and Owls * Three Crones * Madeline * Flower Dryad Monsters/Enemies * Evil Mushrooms * "Nancy Scarigen" the Giant Scarecrow Episode Notes Lore * Annually, the Seelie Court hosts a Fall Faerie Festival and invites mortals to quest for Pumpkin Spice, for the amusement of the court. Behind the Queens * Agrias mentions forgetting her deity. It was originally Helm, god of protectors. * During previous adventures, Perigrindr had accumulated a collection of transformations and other creatures attached to his body. In this adventure, these were streamlined to allow different aspects of his past to become periodically dominant to add chaos, but also to simplify his mechanics. * At the end, Queen Titania offers three wishes before Agrias questions her about it. She laughs it off as her usually giving out three. A similar, if not same, campaign had been used with three other groups in the month prior to recording for live shows with the Chicago Cast, Seattle Cast, and Minneapolis Cast. * The stream cannot currently be found on Youtube, unlike the other Extra Life cast streams, but can be found on Twitch still: https://www.twitch.tv/videos/503063844 Category:Live Streams Category:Unreleased